Theft-preventing device



Nov. 18, 1924- 1,516,453

G. H. NICHOLS THEFT PREVENTING DEVICE Filed Oct. l5 1923 Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES GEQBGE H. NICHOLS, F ELKHABT, INDIANA.

THE'FT-PBEVENTING DEVICE.

Application led October 15, 1923. Serial lo. 688,771.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residin at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and tate of Indiana, have invented certain new an useful Improvements in Theft-Preventing Devices and I do declare the following to Y be a full, clear, and exact description of the lll invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In mounting spare rims and tires on automobiles, the tire rack or carrier is often provided with a rim clamp held in operative position by a nut, but it is a simple matter for the thief to remove this nut and steal the rim and tire. Similarly, a tire and rim can be stolen from an automobile wheel. It

is the object of my invention however, to

provide an improved form of nut which may be threade in place in the usual manner and then set by a key, so that if the body of the nut is rotated in an attempt to remove it, it will merely rotate about a separate, internal, threaded sleeve vwhich engages the bolt, and will not eii'ect removal of the nut .from the bolt.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description ging supplemented by the accompanying Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the nut applied to a bolt.-

l ,2 isan outer end elevation of the Fig: 3.

ires7,8and9aretransverse sectiona views as indicated by lines 77, 8--8 and 9-9 of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 respectively.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal sectional view at an angle to Fig. 6,. as designated by ing line io-io of Fig. e.

Figure 11 is a longitudinal sectional view through the body of the nut.

Figure 12 is an elevation partly insection of the sleeve which is rotatable within the nut body.

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the keyd controlled lock cylinder.

In the present showing of my invention, the numeral 1 designates a hexagonal nut body having a stepped central bore whose steps are designated b the numerals 2, 3 and 4, the diameter oft eportion 2being the same as the bolt 5 upon which the nut is to be threaded, while the diameter of the portion 3 is somewhat larger than the bolt and the diameter of the ortion 4 is still eater. The portion 2 is at t e outer end of t e nut body 1, the ortion 4 is at the inner end of said bo y and the intermediate portion 3 is between t e ortions 2 and 4.

At one si e of its central bore, the nut bod 1 is lprovided with an off-center relative y sma bore 6, and a plurality of transverse tumbler-receivin bores 7, are formed in said body with their inner ends in communication with said off-center bore 6. The outer ends of the bores 7 are preferably closed b friction plugs 8 and the surface of the nut body is so finished as to render such plugs invisible.

Rotatable within the portion 3 of the central bore of the nut body 1 and extending through the Portion 4 of said bore, to the inner end o said body, is a sleeve 9 provided with internal screw-threads 10 for engagement with the bolt 5. This sleeve is provided with an outwardly extending projection, or with two of said projections as indicated by' the numerals 11, said projections being received in the inner end of the bore portion 4. A retaining ring 12 is threaded into this portion of the bore and engages the projections 11, to hold the sleeve within the nut body, and by reference to Figs. 6, 9 and 10, it will be seen that the construction'ased, provides the central bore of thenut bod 1, with a circumferential w ich the pro'ections 11 extend. same provision mig t bemade in different ways from that shown.

A locking c linder 13 is rotatably received in the o -center bore 6, said cylinder being provided in its inner end with a peripheral groove 14 which receives a retainpin 15 paing across said bore 6, S0 that the cylinder 13 is held against detachment and is limited in its rotation. It will beseenfrom the drawingsthatthebore6 intersects the circumferential groove into which the projections 11 extend and it will be further noted that when a portion of the c linder 13 extends across this groove in t e path of the projections 11, an operating connection is established between the nut bod 1 and the sleeve 9, so that rotation of sai body will thread the sleeve onto or from the bolt, as occasion may require. The cylinder 13 however, is provided with a notch 16 which may be positionedto register with the receiving groove of the projections 11, so that no connection is provided between the nut body -.1 and the sleeve 9, permitting the former to rotatev idly upon the latter when the nut is entirely in` place upon its bolt. When the cylinder 13 is .in a position to register the notch 16 with 'the above named groove, a plurality of tumbler-receiving sockets 17 with which said cylinder is formed, register with the tumbler-receiving bores 7, and spring-pressed tumblers 18, mounted in said bores 7, are then received in the sockets 17. Thus, the cylinder 13 is held against rotation, until t e proper key is inserted into the key-slot 19 of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. y5., Insertion of this key, forces the tumblers 18 from the sockets 17 and permits the cylinder to be rotated so that it may establish an operating connection between the nut body 1 and the sleeve 9.

In applying the improved nut, the cylinder 19 is set so that it is in the path of the projections 11. Then, the nut may be threaded onto the bolt in the usual manner. This havin been done, the key is used to turn the cy inder 13 until the sockets 17 are alined with the spring-pressed tumblers 18. Then, upon withdrawal of the key, these tumblers project into the sockets and lock the cylinder in a position in which its notch 16 registers with the receiving groove of the rojections 11. Thus, the nut/body 1 is ree to rotateV about the sleeve 9 and the latterwill not be effected by rotation of said body, so that it is impossible to remove the entire nut from the bolt, without first inserting the proper key and turning the cylnder 13 so that it projects across the receiving groove of the above named projections 11. As this key is ,carried only by an authorized person, 1t will be seen that he only can remove the nut from the bolt and consequently theft of a tire or rim secured by the nut, or theft of any other object secured by the invention, is prevented.

As excellent results are obtainable from the details disclosed, they may well be followed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claim:

1, A nut comprising a body having a bore whose wall is formed with a continuous circumferential roove, an internally threaded sleeve rotatab e in said bore and having a projection extending into said groove, and means carried by said body and movable into and out of said groove to abut said projection and thus connect the body and sleeve for rotation as a sin le unit.

2. A nut comprising -a y having a bore whose wall is formed with a continuous circumferential ve, an internall threaded sleeve rotatab e in said bore an having a projection extending into said groove, and a key-controlled lock cylinder rotatable in said body on an faxis parallel to said bore and having a portion projectable into and out of said groove to Vabut said projection and thus connect the body and sleeve for rotation as a single unit.

3. A device vof the character described comprising a body having a central bore, an off-center bore, a circumferential groove in the wall of said central bore intersecting said oil-center bore, and a plurality of transverse tumbler-receiving bores opening into said off-center bore; a member rotatable in said central bore and having a projection received in said roove, a lock cylinder rotatable in said o -center bore and extending across said groove, said cylinder having a notch for registration with said groove when the c linder is turned to one position, said cylin er bein formed with tumbler sockets and a key s ot across the same, and spring-pressed tumblers in said tumblerreceiving bores for projection into said sockets when said notch is in registration with said groove. j

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

GEORGE H. NICHOLS. 

